Oceandesal Lab | An Jinseok

About Me

Who Am I

I am Jinseok (Andrew) An, a highschool student living in Jeju island. I am interested in environmental science and especially water scarcity. I like to find pragmatic solutions to environmental issues by making models rather than only discussing the problems theoretically. Therefore, I am running this research project to develop a cost and energy effective seawater desalination plant.

🌍 SDG 6 Clean Water ♻️ SDG 13 Climate Action 🔬 Environmental Research

💧

"To design a cost- and energy-effective desalination plant, which can provide potable water to individuals in LICs(Low-income countries) and post-conflict regions."

Prototypes Built

SDGs Addressed

Year of Research

My Story

Why Water?

Water shortage is a major global issue, as available freshwater is decreasing whereas demand is increasing. According to UNICEF, more than two third of the global population experience water scarcity for more than one month per a year. According to the United Nations, around 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries, many of them in South Asia and Northern Africa.

This is a serious problem since water is essential for everyone's life: water is one of the most important resources that we need for our life, along with the oxygen. As water scarcity can cause a lot of problems such as dehydration, waterborne disease, and economic crisis, urgent action is required to tackle this problem.

Water Stress Level by Region

Source: World Resources Institute Aqueduct 4.0 (2023)

🔗 wri.org/insights/highest-water-stressed-countries

Middle East & N. Africa
(MENA)

Extremely High

South Asia

Extremely High

Latin America
(parts)

Med~High

Europe
(parts)

Medium

Sub-Saharan Africa
(parts)

Low~Mid

🔴 Extremely High 🟣 Medium~High 🔵 Medium 🟢 Low~Medium

📍 Top 7 Most Water-Stressed Countries — WRI Aqueduct 4.0 (2023)
Source: wri.org/insights/highest-water-stressed-countries

🇰🇼

#1 Kuwait

~99% of freshwater comes from desalination. Virtually no natural freshwater sources.

Extreme

🇨🇾

#2 Cyprus

Small island with hot, dry summers and limited rainfall. Heavily reliant on desalination and recycled water.

Extreme

🇴🇲

#3 Oman

Scorching temperatures and minimal rainfall. Growing demand strains already limited water supply.

Extreme

🇶🇦

#4 Qatar

No rivers. Water demand nearly doubled between 2006–2013 due to rapid population and economic growth.

Extreme

🇧🇭

#5 Bahrain

No rivers, lakes, or dams. Decades of groundwater overuse have severely depleted reserves.

Extreme

🇱🇧

#6 Lebanon

Unable to store water, widespread water pollution and chronic misuse across agriculture and households.

Extreme

🇦🇪

#7 United Arab Emirates

Almost no natural rivers or lakes. Rapidly growing cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi drive surging demand.

Extreme

The Problem

Increasing Significance of Water Scarcity

Due to technological advancements that inevitably cause more environmental issues, the preservation of clean water is exceptionally harder than ever before.
As drinkable water is a necessity for all, especially in underprivileged and marginalized regions, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor and manage the structures through which we can preserve clean water.

Salination of Fresh Waterbody

Global warming is a driving force that causes sea levels to rise, which consequently causes the salination of freshwater sources, such as underground water or ponds.

My Project

Providing Clean and Safe Water for People Who Need It Most

Purpose

The main objective of this project is to create a more cost and energy efficient desalination plant in order to improve the currently existing desalination system. This will allow freshwater to be distributed more efficiently and eventually contribute to decreasing global warming by reducing the current energy use. I've specifically focused on how this can help better the environments in post conflict regions, such as the Gulf region.

🌊 SDG 6 — Clean Water and Sanitation

Directly addressing Target 6.1—achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

🌿 SDG 13 — Climate Action

Directly supporting adaptive capacity in climate-vulnerable nations by providing a grid-independent solution that utilizes 100% passive solar energy.

Significance

⚡

No artificial energy input required: Reduces the stress on energy production, leading to a decrease in fossil fuel use and a decrease in global warming. People that do not have access to energy can have a reliable source of water.

📦

Small Size: no cost for implementation, can be used by individuals rather than government.

💰

Cheap: adequate for people suffering from economic water scarcity (e.g. Low Income Countries, Post-conflict Region).

Research Journey

Timeline

January 2025

🔍 Brainstorming

Research to identify the current problem, structural design and materials to use for developing a prototype.

April 2025

🧪 Development of First Prototype

First prototype developed using Diamite, SiO₂, Gluconobacter, Bacterial Cellulose, Biochar, Fe₃O₄, and Agar.

September 2025

📊 Evaluated its performance, limitations, and environmental and economic feasibility

Performance, limitations, and environmental and economic feasibility evaluated.

January 2026

🚀 Development of the Second Prototype

Second prototype developed to overcome the limitations identified in the first prototype.

Present

🔬 Ongoing Research

Conducting the experiment with different variables to identify the limitation of the model.
Planning to implement the second prototype in the Gulf region in cooperation with NGOs

Prototypes

Prototype Development

🧬 Materials Used

Diamite, SiO₂, Gluconobacter, bacterial cellulose — used hydrophilic, low density, high porosity materials
Biochar: to maximize heat absorption by increasing emissivity
Fe₃O₄: remove heavy metals from water, high photothermal conversion efficiency
Agar: helps to mix different materials

📊 Experimental Result

— Temperature Change

— Absorption of water

— Evaporation of water

⚠️ Limitations

⚠️

The structure is retaining a significant amount of water, possibly indicating that the rate of evaporation was relatively slower than the rate of absorption. In addition, the surface did not heat efficiently because the faster rate of absorption provided cooler water to the structure. Consequently, the lowered temperature further reduced the rate of evaporation.

These findings led to the key improvements made in Prototype 2.

CLICK

🔬 Lab Process

Preparing culture medium for Gluconobacter

Making first prototype via mixing silica and agar

Making cylindrical structure

Measuring water absorptivity and change in surface temperature of the structure placed under the incandescent light bulb

Changes Made

📏

Bigger size

Efficiency ↑

Reason: To increase the practicality and efficiency of water collection

🧪

Change in materials used: agar → sodium alginate

Evaporation ↑

Reason: In the first prototype, agar was effective at absorbing water, but it retained the water, preventing efficient evaporation. Thus, sodium alginate, which has lower water retention, is used instead of agar.

🌾

Change in materials used: biochar → carbonized rice hull

Absorption ↑

Reason: to increase the rate of water absorption

🏊

Change in physical structure

Surface Area ↑

Reason: The initial structure was partially submerged in water, while the second prototype floats on the water. This change was made to increase the surface area that touches the water, subsequently increasing the rate of absorption.

🔬 Lab Photos

The process of mixing sodium alginate, biochar, calcium carbonate, and silica

Making second prototype by treating the structure with HCl

Assambly of desalination plant model for second prototype

Providing Clean & Safe Water
For People Who Need It Most

Who Am I